Every Girl Like Me
by turtleback
Summary: Another story set after "When the Gun Goes Bang, Bang, Bang." How will Jane and Maura's relationship change after Jane's heroic actions in the season one finale? Chapters 3 and 4 are up! Note rating change to M for Chapter 4.
1. Chapter 1

**The Fire (or Every Girl Like Me)**

_Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. No infringement intended and no profit will be made from their use._

* * *

Once Jane left the hospital after the shooting she was stuck at home on administrative leave until she fully recovered. Maura spent most of her free time with Jane during her recovery. One night Jane noticed that Maura was unusually distracted and asked, "What's wrong with you? You've been acting really weird recently, or you know, weird for you."

"I just seem to be experiencing some rather odd symptoms."

"Are you feeling okay? Are you sick?"

"No, not those kind of symptoms."

"Then what is it?"

"When I'm around you I have trouble concentrating, my pupils dilate, I fidget, my pulse is racing. All symptoms of sexual attraction," Maura responded.

Jane's face turned bright red, "Uh, what?"

"It's an entirely logical response to recent events. You were very brave and heroic-"

"I wasn't heroic," Jane interrupted.

"Yes you were. You protected Frankie and me and if you hadn't shot Bobby who knows how many other people he may have hurt or killed. Plus we've been spending a lot more time together while you recover from your injuries. My brain is simply telling me that you would be an appropriate mate. You would be strong and protective and I could take care of you emotionally and sexually. Although those roles are largely anachronistic now our brains haven't evolved past that so often people are still attracted to that paradigm."

Jane shook her head, "I have no idea what you just said."

"Fine, let me be more clear. You have many qualities that many women would find attractive. If you would like me to show you my appreciation for your recent heroism, I would be happy to do in whatever manner you would like, including sexually."

"This is a joke, right? Did Korsak and Frost put you up to this? Or was it Frankie?"

"I assure you this is not a joke."

"Uh, well, okay, but I thought I wasn't your type," Jane said rather proudly, thinking she had caught Maura in a lie.

"Recent events have led me to conclude that my initial judgement was wrong. You are most definitely my type."

"Maura, you're not gay. I'm not gay."

"Sexual fluidity is very common in women. Research has shown that most women are rarely totally gay or totally straight but somewhere in between and are capable of being attracted to an individual regardless of biological sex," Maura responded.

"Oh my god, this is not happening. I can't believe we're having this conversation like it's a normal, rational conversation to have."

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. There's no expectation or pressure. I am simply letting you know that I find you very attractive and I would be a willing sex partner should you ever want that."

Jane had to admit to herself that this conversation wasn't altogether surprising and, if she was really honest, not unwelcome. Jane thought they had actually been slowly building towards this for a long time and now the floodgates were finally open. "Okay let's say, just for the sake of conversation, that I said that yes, we should have sex. It would be what, just a one night stand?"

"No, I also said I think you would be an appropriate mate. We could also try a more formal relationship if you wanted."

"Jesus, Maura. You're making it all sound so scientific. You need to work on being a little more romantic."

"Hmmm, okay, here is how I envision our first date would go." Maura closed her eyes and continued, "You would pick a small, fancy restaurant that you think I would like. We'd eat dinner by candlelight and hold hands or maybe you would sit next to me and I would rub your leg under the table. After dinner you would walk me home, but I wouldn't be able to wait until we got home so I would stop you somewhere on the sidewalk or maybe push you up against a building to kiss you. When we got to my house I would invite you in, and you would probably hesitate, but I'd kiss you until you agreed. Once inside we might make to the bedroom before I tore off all your clothes but more likely it would happen sooner."

Jane's jaw dropped open and she found herself unable to form any words.

Maura opened her eyes and found Jane staring open-mouthed at her. "Does that expression mean you like the sound of that date?"

"Maybe," Jane managed to squeak out.

Maura stood up and walked toward the door. "I should probably get going. I'll come over tomorrow after work, okay?"

That got Jane's brain and mouth working together again. Jane jumped up off of the couch and said, "No, wait. You can't go yet."

"Why not?"

"Number one, you can't just tell me all this stuff and leave because all I'm going to do is think about it for hours and hours until I go completely insane. And number two, if this is going to happen it's going to have to happen now before I have time to think about it and chicken out. So if you were serious about everything you need come over here right now and kiss me."

Maura smiled and sauntered as sexily as possible up to Jane. In her heels Maura was almost as tall as Jane in her bare feet. Maura put her hand on the back of Jane's neck and captured Jane's lips in a kiss that was gentle but not chaste. She sucked and pulled on Jane's bottom lip before pulling away.

Jane stood with her eyes closed for a moment after Maura pulled away. She opened her eyes to find Maura staring at her and waiting for her reaction. "That was, uh, yeah." Jane's arms had been hanging at her sides, but now she put her hands on Maura's waist, pulled her closer, and kissed Maura. The first kiss Jane had been mostly a recipient. For the second kiss she was an active participant. Tongues shyly began to explore each other's tongues and mouths. Jane pulled Maura completely against her own body and moaned at the sensation.

Maura pushed Jane back down to a sitting position on the couch and then straddled Jane's lap before resuming kissing her.

After another minute, Jane pushed Maura back. "Wait, Maura, stop. This is amazing, I mean really, uh, amazing. Like I don't know why we didn't do this a long time ago amazing. But I can't continue if this is just going to be a one time thing for you."

"Would you prefer that we go on a formal date before engaging in sexual activities?" Maura asked.

"Actually I think we've been on like a million dates already, we just didn't admit what they were."

"You want some assurances that I'm not just using you tonight for sex?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Jane, you are my best friend. My sexual attraction to you caught me by surprise but I think it has probably been growing for a long time. I can honestly envision spending the rest of my life with you. I can go back to just being friends but my preference is that we formally enter into a romantic relationship. Does that help?"

Jane paused before answering, "I think it's time to relocate to the bedroom."

* * *

**[The Fire ~ The Roots w/ John Legend]**

**[Every Girl Like Me ~ Sugarland]**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Fire (or Every Girl Like Me)**

**Chapter 2**

_Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. No infringement intended and no profit will be made from their use._

* * *

Jane and Maura made their way to the bedroom and resumed making out before actually making it to the bed. When Maura's hands made it to the top of Jane's jeans and started to unbuckle them, Jane grabbed Maura's wrists. "Maura, wait. I can't. I'm not ready for this."

"Are you worried that you won't be able to satisfy me because you're not a man or you won't know how to satisfy me?"

"I was not worried about that but now I will be, so thanks for that. But no, that's not the point. I can't just jump right in to having sex with someone like this. And I definitely can't do that with you. You made it sound all very logical and stuff but this is too fast for me. I don't want one of us to regret it tomorrow because then everything will just be weird. You're too important to me to risk that."

"Oh, Jane. I should expected known. I should go now."

"Maura, I'm not rejecting you. I do want you. I just want to take things a little slower. Is that okay with you?"

"You would like us to engage in more traditional courting rituals before having sex?"

"Yeah, I think that's what I'm trying to say."

"I can do that. But I am going to go home now and I'll talk to you tomorrow." Maura leaned in for one last kiss on the lips and then she was gone.

* * *

Jane still had a week left before she could return to work. She woke up the next morning slightly wondering if everything that had happened with Maura last night had actually just been a dream. Jane took Jo out for a walk and when she returned she found flowers outside her door. The note with the flowers said,

_Dear Jane,_  
_I hope you will do me the honor of going out with me tonight. I'll come pick you up after work.  
__xo Maura_

Maura arrived at Jane's house a little after 6 surprisingly dressed in jeans and a sweater.

"Where are we going?" Jane asked.

"You'll see."

Maura called a cab and ten minutes later they were dropped off at the corner of Beacon and Charles. Maura grabbed Jane's hand and led her into Boston Common. "It's the first night of skating at the frog pond. I made a guess that you would know how to ice skate."

"You guessed? Of course I can skate. I grew up playing hockey during the winter."

"That's good, because I don't know how," Maura confessed with a huge smile.

"Wait, how can you not know how to skate?"

"It just wasn't something I did as a kid. And I've wanted to try it but it seems like something you should only try with someone you know will hold you up."

"Ah, very clever, Dr. Isles."

"I thought so."

Jane and Maura rented skates and Jane taught Maura how to stay upright reasonably well. But mostly skating was a good excuse for them to hold on to each other. After about an hour Maura suggested they head up the hill to her house for dinner.

When they arrived at Maura's house there was a candlelight dinner waiting for them in the dining room. "Don't ask how it happened. I'll never reveal my secrets," Maura said in response to Jane's dropped jaw.

"I can't believe you did all this. The flowers, the skating was perfect, and candlelight dinner when we got home."

"You didn't think I could be romantic?"

"No, that's not it. Honestly, I just figured I'd be the one sending flowers and trying to impress you with perfect dates and candlelight dinners."

"Why? Because you think you would be 'the guy'? Get used to it Jane Rizzoli because I am courting you."

"Don't worry, I can get used to it."

After dinner Jane helped Maura clean up, despite Maura's protests. "You know, you planned the perfect date tonight. When you theorized about the type of date I would take you on you thought I would try to do something fancy, but I think you'd prefer something more like this."

Maura turned around from the sink and leaned against the counter. "You're right. People often think I'd want to go somewhere fancy and expensive, but I care much more about the company. Anything with you would be perfect." Jane stepped up close to Maura and kissed her on the lips. Maura's lips parts and Jane took advantage of the opening to push her tongue in to meet Maura's. Jane let her hands graze under Maura's shirt, touching the soft skin on Maura's back and then lightly grazing her stomach.

Eventually Maura pulled back Jane and asked, "Will you stay tonight?"

"I can't," Jane responded and backed away. "I have to get home to Jo."

Maura crossed her arms over her chest and almost whispering said, "You are so terribly confusing."

"What do you mean?" Jane asked.

"You kiss me and hold me and start touching me, and I know you like it and you want to do it and it feels like you want more, but then you stop and it's over."

"I'm sorry. I'm really not trying to send mixed signals. I want to kiss you...and more...but I told you I need to go a little slow. But you know...I go back to work on Monday and I don't know how busy I'll be after that, so I was thinking...maybe we could spend this whole weekend together?"

"Oh, oh!" Maura said after understanding, or at least hoping she was appropriately understanding, what Jane was saying. "That's sound lovely. Do you want to bring Jo over here Friday night and then we can do whatever we want for the weekend?"

"That's what I was hoping for. Is that really okay with you?"

"That sounds perfect. Go home to Jo now so I can think about you in peace," Maura said with a devilish grin.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Fire (or Every Girl Like Me)**

**Chapter 3**

I didn't intend for this to get so angsty but the I swear the story writes itself and I just record it.

_Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. No infringement intended and no profit will be made from their use._

* * *

Maura was frustrated. Yes, she was sexually frustrated. Once she had given in to her desire for Jane, and Jane had seemed to want to reciprocate, she had expected a quicker fulfillment of her desire. The whole plan for the ice skating date had been to help give Jane the courage to go forward. Choosing ice skating, which she knew Jane could teach her, and which would involve a lot of touching had seemed to work at first. But had backed down.

Maura was also frustrated with herself. Maybe she was pushing Jane too hard into something she wasn't ready for and maybe would never be ready for. Maura was frustrated because she should have known better. Although Jane jumps head first into things in most areas of her life, with relationships she did the opposite. Jane always ran away from anyone who gave the slightest indication they would want to be with her. And now Maura had to figure out how to get Jane to not run away from her. She had to walk a very fine line between not scaring Jane away but still making sure Jane knew how much Maura wanted her. At the moment that seemed impossible and Maura did not like it when things seemed impossible.

Between the ice skating date and Friday, Maura and Jane had barely talked. Being really direct with Jane hadn't worked so far, so Maura decided to...what? Play hard to get? She wasn't sure what she doing really except trying to do the opposite of what she would normally do. Jane hadn't exactly been beating down her door when Maura hadn't called her for a day though.

Friday afternoon Jane was nervous. She had all but promised Maura that they were going to have sex this weekend. Jane had been attracted to Maura for a long time, but had assumed Maura would never feel the same way. It was easy to go on a date or two with random guys, or whoever Maura set her up with, and then reject them when they didn't measure up to Maura. But now Maura actually wanted her and Jane couldn't close the deal. What if in the end this was just a fling for Maura? Or an experiment? Or what if this was just temporary lust caused by the shooting and Jane almost dying? How was Jane supposed to deal with Maura's feelings being any of those things when Jane thought Maura was perfection, was everything. And it's not like she could say any of these things to Maura because Maura might either get scared away or think Jane was just insane.

Jane arrived at Maura's house Friday night with her overnight bag, a very excited Jo, and dinner from their favorite Chinese restaurant. For Jo, Maura's house meant delicious treats and stairs she got to run up and down. But Jane right now felt nothing but anxiety until she looked into Maura's eyes when she opened the door. "What's wrong?" Jane asked and soon as she saw Maura.

"How do you do that?" Maura asked.

Jane was bringing food into the kitchen and Jo had run off, probably upstairs, "Do what?"

Maura followed Jane into the kitchen. "How can you just look at me and immediately know something is wrong?"

"I am a detective, you know," Jane answered with a grin.

"Don't do that. Don't deflect with humor." Maura deflected Jane's comment with a wave of her hand and walked back into the living room.

Jane followed Maura, "I know because I know. I don't know how. I guess I'm just really in tune with you. Most of the time I'm pretty good at reading your emotions. Right now you look like you're maybe a little sad, maybe a little frustrated and also confused I think. And I'm guessing it might be all my fault."

Maura sank into the couch. "I didn't want to have this conversation today. I wanted to let you take charge of whatever was going to happen with us and I told myself I would go at your pace, even if that meant we'd never move forward. But you come in here and within five seconds you've completely broken me down. And I don't want to feel like I feel right now."

Maura paused and looked at Jane. She tried to read Jane's thoughts but Jane had gone into what Maura thought of as cop mode, a blank canvas showing no emotion. So Maura stood up and walked to window. She looked out at the street but also watched Jane's reflection in the window as Jane sat down on the couch. "After the shooting when I started thinking about confessing my feelings for you I never thought it would go like this. I thought I had played out all the possible scenarios in my head but I was wrong. I thought you might reject me and then would either go back to being just friends or you wouldn't want to be friends anymore and that would be it. I thought you might just laugh it off and we never speak about it again."

Maura watched Jane's reflection as she leaned back on the couch and tilted her head back so she was staring at the ceiling. Maura couldn't tell if Jane's eyes were open or not. "But I imagined other scenarios too. I thought of you did have feelings for me and if I confessed mine to you, then you would do the same. And then maybe we would jump right into bed. Or maybe we would take it slow and start dating each other and work up to physical intimacy. But either way we would be just consumed by happiness. We would spend all day laughing together and we wouldn't want to leave each other's side ever."

Maura turned away from the window and was quiet until Jane finally brought her gaze back to Maura's face. "I definitely didn't think it would be like this. I shouldn't be upset and worried. I should be happy right now. I want to be happy but we're stuck. We take one step forward and two steps back. Maybe I wanted things to happen too fast. It's certainly never taken me this long to get someone in bed before, so maybe my expectations were unrealistic. But now I'm afraid we're running out of time. I'm afraid once you go back to work, work and the rest of your life will take over and we'll miss this opportunity. And when the rest of your life gets back to normal maybe you'll just want to pretend this all never happened."

Jane stood up from the couch. "I need to take Jo for a walk."

"What? You just got here! Wait, that's your response to everything I just said?"

"I won't be gone long."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Fire (or Every Girl Like Me)**

**Chapter 4**

**Note Rating change to M.**

_Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. No infringement intended and no profit will be made from their use._

* * *

Maura put the food away in the fridge, poured a glass of wine and sat down on the couch. She was deep in thought when Jane returned and let herself in. Without looking at Jane, Maura said, "I didn't actually think you would be back. You always run. I know I can be socially awkward sometimes and I don't always say the right things in certain situation, but I'm not stupid when comes to emotions. I think I've put everything I can out there for you. You can decide to reject me or not but either way we need to move forward. I don't want to be stuck in this purgatory with you forever."

Jane sat down on the couch next to Maura. "I went for a walk because I needed some time to think and I called my mother."

Maura finally looked at Jane. "What on earth for?"

"I needed to talk to someone. Normally I would talk to you. Who else was I going to call, Korsak? I might as well have talked to Bass. But we talked about some things and it was helpful. You just said I always run and you're right. I always run away from other people because they aren't you. I'm always running to you. I told my mother that I love you. She asked me if I had told you yet and when I said no she yelled at me for being a moron for ten minutes. I was scared to tell you because I don't know if this is just a temporary thing for you. I didn't think I could deal with it if this wasn't real for you too. I know you're not emotionally stupid, but I am. I try to avoid putting myself at risk of being hurt. So I would still appreciate it if you were gentle with me, but I'm not going to run anymore."

"Thank you for telling me all that. But just so we're clear, you still haven't told me."

"I said gentle. Uh, can we eat now, I'm starving."

* * *

Several hours later they were lying in Maura's bed. There had been kissing and hands exploring new areas of each other's bodies, above the belt. But Maura stuck with her resolution to let Jane take the lead in the bedroom, at least for as long as she could stand it. Now they were just lying together with Jane pressed against Maura's back and her arms wrapped around her.

"Was it really after the shooting that you were first attracted to me?" Jane asked.

"I don't know. I think it was the first time I realized it, but looking back now I think I should have realized it a long time ago. What about you? How long do you think you've been attracted to me?"

"Probably since the first time we met."

"Don't joke."

"I'm not. You were, and still are, so smart, so confident, and incredibly beautiful. It's a very sexy package."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"You're kidding right? Let's see," Jane used her fingers to count as she listed the reasons, "we work together, you're constantly going out with various men and trying to set me up too, I don't exactly fit into your normal social circle, you eat from the dead people fridge, you told me I wasn't your type, um, what else? I've never in my whole life told anyone I was attracted to them. If I had told you and you rejected me and word got around the department I would have been so embarrassed I would have had to quit and move to another state."

"Jane-" Maura started but Jane cut her off.

"Not embarrassed by you rejecting me, embarrassed for even thinking you could be interested in me and telling you and then having other people know I was so delusional."

"Good thing you shot yourself."

"Funny." Jane grabbed Maura's waist to tickle her and after Maura started squirming Jane rolled her over on her back and then straddled her. She stopped trying to tickle and they simple stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. "Maura, I love you."

"Show me. Please, show me." After saying those words Maura saw a fire in Jane's eyes that she hadn't seen before and then Jane's mouth was on hers with a passion that was new. Jane pulled off Maura's remaining clothes and then her own. Jane's mouth was then on Maura's chest and then breasts. Maura was moaning and arching into Jane's touch. Maura almost came just with the feel of Jane's mouth on her nipple.

Jane moved further down Maura's body but Maura grabbed her wrist and pulled, "I want you up here, please, I want to look into your eyes." Jane moved back up to Maura's lips and propped herself up on her right forearm. She reached her left hand between Maura's thighs and then ran two fingers thought Maura's wet folds. At that touch both Maura and Jane moaned. Jane thought she might come apart right then. But she locked eyes with Maura and they held each other's gaze as Jane's fingers found their way inside of Maura. It didn't take long before Maura was shaking and screaming Jane's name.

Jane lowered herself down and rested her head on Maura's chest. "Maura?"

"Yeah?" Maura breathed out.

"I'm really sorry we didn't do this sooner."


End file.
